PRS still looking for additional ministerial post

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ANNOUNCING APPOINTMENT: Masing (second left) introducing some of the appointments to the supreme council, including Aaron (seated, right) as the new treasurer-general

KUCHING: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) is still seeking additional ministerial posts in the federal cabinet because it feels its present allocation does not commensurate with its contributions in the last general election.

Party president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing said many PRS members had expressed dissatisfaction that the party’s contribution in the 13th general election in May was not properly recognised despite them winning all their six parliamentary seats.

“In that sense, the appointment to the federal cabinet did not commensurate with the contributions that we have made. We won six seats comfortably but despite of that, we are only given one full minister post.

“Yet, other (Barisan Nasional) parties who fared badly were also given the same number of ministerial appointments.

“The supreme council members suggest that we talk to the federal leaders to give due recognition to our contributions in the 13GE,” he told reporters after PRS’ supreme council meeting at the party headquarters in Jalan Pending here yesterday.

PRS was only allocated one full minister post and one deputy minister post, when the cabinet lineup was announced 10 days after BN was returned to power during the 13GE on May 5. Party deputy president and Selangau MP Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun was appointed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

Party vice president and Julau MP Datuk Joseph, on the other hand, declined the post of Deputy Minister of Tourism and was subsequently appointed as Sarawak 1Malaysia Advisory Council chairman.

Based on previous media reports, many PRS leaders and members had suggested that the party should be given at least another full minister’s post in any federal cabinet reshuffle.

On another matter, Masing, who is also Land Development Minister, suggested that appointment of Special Affairs Department (Jasa) officers in constituencies must be done through consultation with the BN party that was allocated the constituency or the elected representative from BN.

“Jasa officers are basically political appointments to assist Barisan Nasional YBs in the particular area. Because it is political appointment, we will suggest to the authorities concerned who are involved with Jasa, to make sure appointment of Jasa officers are done through consultation with YBs (elected representatives) of the area.

“If the YB is from PRS, make sure PRS is being consulted on who should be the JASA officer for that area. Likewise for the other parties, if the YB is from PBB, then PBB should be consulted,” he said.

As for the appointment of councillors in the local councils, he said the party was in favour of young and qualified persons to be appointed as well as more participation from the women.

“Appointment must be more towards capability. We would also like to put more women in as councillors,” he said. The State Legislative Assembly recently passed Local Authorities (Amendment) Bill, 2013 which will see the increase in number of members in local councils from 25 to 30 each.

Meanwhile, it was also announced at the press conference that Kanowit MP Datuk Aaron Aro Dagang was appointed the new treasurer general of PRS. With this, Aaron gets to be involved in the party’s decision-making process despite failing to

win one of the five vice presidents posts the party elections held in Sibu two months ago.

Balai Ringin assemblyman Snowdan Lawan was appointed ordinary supreme council member although he too lost in the party elections. He was previously the appointed deputy secretary general.

New faces appointed to the supreme council are engineer Janang Bungsu, who is the new deputy secretary general, a banker Alexander Donald the new information chief, engineer Thomas Thomas Balan Bang as deputy information chief, and Ali Adap from Limbang as ordinary supreme council member.

Tamin assemblyman Datuk Joseph Mauh Ikeh, who declined to defend his vice president’s post, is also an appointed supreme council member as the party still needed his expertise and experience.

There is another appointed supreme council member still left vacant.

Datuk Wilfred Rata Nissom and Edward Kurik were respectively re-appointed as secretary general and deputy treasurer general respectively.